The present invention relates generally to fuel nozzles, and more particularly to fuel nozzle tips suitable for use in a gas turbine engine combustor.
Gas turbine engines include a combustor for generating combustion products to help power the engine. Typically, compressed air is provided to the combustor and is mixed with fuel injected into a combustion chamber. The fuel/air mixture is ignited to provide combustion. The combustion products then exit the combustor and pass through a turbine section that extracts rotational energy from the combustion products.
Fuel nozzles deliver fuel in particular patterns to help facilitate combustion. Parameters such as swirl, velocity, and pressure are tightly controlled by the fuel nozzle to help promote desired performance. During operation, fuel nozzles that inject fuel in the combustor are subjected to extreme thermal conditions as well as various other forces. Balancing these concerns in a working fuel nozzle can be difficult.
It is therefore desired to provide an alternative fuel nozzle tip.